


Bad Night

by grimmfairy



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Blankets, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Depressed Tony Stark, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mentions of Spider-man, Miscommunication, Monsters, Nagatony, Protective Steve Rogers, Sad Tony Stark, Snake!Tony, So much angst, Steve Rogers Feels, Steve doesn't think so, Tony Stark Cuddles, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony thinks he's a monster, kind of, snake tail
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-18 17:50:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7324765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grimmfairy/pseuds/grimmfairy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony has been turned into a snake-man hybrid during a battle by a particularly unfortunate curse shortly after entering into a romantic relationship with Steve Rogers. Unsure of how to accept his own body much less how Steve could ever look at him again, he retreats into himself until Steve refuses to sit by any more when he hears Tony crying in the bathroom alone. He makes a blanket nest and cuddles Tony, basically.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Mutated Love](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7170758) by [Allenxedward](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allenxedward/pseuds/Allenxedward). 



> Based on the magnificent [Artwork](http://polarspaz.tumblr.com/post/145982897071/tony-tries-to-put-it-off-for-as-long-as-possible) of polarspaz (http://polarspaz.tumblr.com/).

Tony Stark: genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. 

Tony wished he could take those words back now, those words he had said so long ago. They were nothing more than an offhand comment in the heat of the moment before he and Steve had become "Stark and Stripes", as some of their fangirls referred to their relationship. Those words were haunting him tonight.

He ran his hands over the smooth scales that now armored his lower half, and trailed his hands over his chest when his human skin still remained, though there were small patches of scales that dotted his ribcage. The scales that covered his collarbones led to the scales that covered his shoulders, and he could feel the way they shifted and moved in the hollow of his lower back as he continued staring at himself in the mirror. One week ago, he was everything he wanted to be. One week ago, he was  a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. He wouldn't say that anymore if asked who is Tony Stark.

Tony Stark was a monster.

Tears threatened in the corners of his eyes, and Tony tried valiantly to hold them back. He had another round of bloodwork and tests in the morning with Bruce and that meant another round of being pricked and poked and stared at like he was a sideshow freak by a friend. At least Parker would be there for his own tests, and he had asked very politely if he could stay for Tony's. He never looked at Tony like he wanted to bolt in the other direction. Bruce had said they needed time to come up with options for treatment, or undoing the unfortunate spell, but Tony wasn't holding out hope. He needed to decide what he wanted in the event that he was stuck this way. What did he want to do?

What Tony really wanted to do was to go to sleep and wake up to find that this whole mess was just a horrible dream, some kind of bad joke. A bad acid trip, perhaps.

Failing that, Tony wanted...well, he wanted Steve. They had just started to label the sexual tension and long looks and late night talks as "dating". And now? Now that was all gone because Tony wanted to set Steve free. Tony slammed his fist into the mirror, shattering his grotesque visage with knuckles that were protected now by by scales. Scales. 

He wanted Steve to just stop being so damn selfless all the time, to stop meekly giving into Tony's requests for privacy and solitude. He wanted Steve to argue with him, to insist that he was going to stay. He wanted Steve to hold him, and kiss him, and do all the little things he used to do. Tony craved all of Steve's tiny touches throughout the day that he had taken for granted. He just wanted to stop feeling so alone.

And cold. 

Unable to help it any more, Tony slid down to sit on the bathroom floor and broke into ugly, shuddering sobs with his arms wrapped around his chest to hold himself together. Later, he would blame it on the ever-shifting mix of hormones his still-trying-to-adjust human physiology kept pouring into his bloodstream. For now, alone and naked and shivering on the cold tile floor with only his almost-cold blooded tail for company, he just wanted to cry. He didn't know how long he remained there with his oddly sentient tail curled around him in an odd shadow of an embrace before he heard the door open. Well, he heard the lock being forcibly broken after the door handle rattled a few times. Tony tried not to flinch when gloriously warm arms encircled him from behind and his scaly back was pulled gently to a broad, warm chest. No, Steve couldn't touch him like this, he didn't want Steve to feel repulsed by him.

"No, Steve, don't-" Tony started to say.

His tail curled tightly around them both despite Tony's words.

"Traitor," He spat wetly. He could feel the vibrations of Steve's little chuckle before the man was serious again.

"Why didn't you come to me?" Steve asked in his ear.

"It's not your concern anymore," Tony whined, his voice clogged with tears. "I'm fine."

"You're not fine, and I'm not leaving until you tell me _why_ you pushed me away."

Tony, resigned to his body's unconscious reaction to Steve, turned slightly so could sit sideways in Steve's lap with his face against one warm, bare pectoral. His tail adjusted itself to pull them closer together and then settled.

"You shouldn't have to..." Tony took a deep shaky breath, tears still pouring down his newly colorful face. "You shouldn't have to touch me when I'm... _disgusting_. I don't expect you to. We only went on a few dates before...I just wanted to pretend for a little bit longer that we could still be _together_."

Steve sighed, his exhale ruffling his hair and tickling his pointy ear enough that it wiggled. He shifted his arms to Tony's waist and rubbed soothing circles into the juncture where skin became snake with his fingers. How had he let this happen? He should have been able to see that Tony wasn't pushing him away because it was what was best for Tony. It was because Tony couldn't bare to look at himself and had assumed in the dark corners of his mind that Steve wouldn't either.

Finally wrapped in the arms he wanted and practically drowning in Steve's scent, Tony let himself fall apart. He cried quietly now that his explosive emotions had been somewhat released already. Steve untangled one of his arms from around Tony's waist to stroke idly over his face wiping away the falling tears, trailing over his bicep to map out the texture of his scales in a way he had so far been denied. Tony's eyes, though red and watery and swollen, looked up at him and they were still so familiar even though they had changed to much. Everything he had loved about Tony before the "incident" was still there, under the scales. Tony was still brilliant, and annoying, and beautiful. Only now, the self-loathing that Tony had just started to release from deep inside his heart now seeped from his pores for all to see. Back to square one. However, Steve Rogers was nothing if not stubborn about those he cared for. Bucky could attest to that.

"I'm so sorry I've let you think you have to be alone," Steve said when Tony had been reduced to light sniffling. "I should have been there by your side. And I'm going to be there now."

"You don't have to," Tony whispered. "I'm not your responsibility." He felt his tail twitch violently at the thought of Steve leaving.

"Even if that was true, I want to be there," Steve said, pressing a kiss to Tony's hair. "We're together, I care about you a lot, and we're going to do this. No more talk of breaking it off with me unless it's what we _both_ want. This-"

Steve gestured at the tail currently holding him place. Tony's eyes followed the movement on instinct. 

"This changes some things, I won't lie. But I also think we can make this work," Steve said, a light playfulness seeping into his voice. "Besides, think of the amount of work and calculations you'll have to do to build a new suit."

Tony saw Steve's blatant attempt at distraction for the stroke to his ego that it was, but he couldn't stop the way the engineer's side of his brain clicked into action. The top of the armor could easily be slightly modified for his ears and facial structures and the temperature control would need a tweak, but the bottom, well...He needed to be able to move, and he needed to relearn how to fly. It could improve his maneuverability in tight spaces if he could make the armor jointed enough...He stopped the train of thought for later and looked up into Steve's smug face.

"Your face'll get stuck like that if you keep it up," Tony huffed. There was a wavering, fragile tone to his voice, but Steve could hear that familiar steel underlying it.

"Come on, you're freezing, we need to get you warmed up," Steve said, shifting as if to stand.

Tony nodded and dried his face with the back of his hand one more time. Steve held his hand as they made their way out of the bathroom together. The skin was dry and Tony's fingers ended in claws that he was careful not to press into Steve's skin. Supersoldier or not, Tony didn't to remind Steve of his condition any more than he had to. Tony's room was in a state of disuse, the result of too many nights spent researching his condition and wandering miserably around looking for a distraction. Steve didn't falter when the door approached on their left, and instead gripped Tony's hand a little bit tighter and kept walking. Tony didn't comment. Steve led him all the way to his own room at Stark Tower and pulled Tony in behind him. The door shut with a gentle "whoosh" and they were in darkness. Tony could see Steve, could see him through the heat that poured off his superpowered vascular system. It looked like heaven. He slithered over to Steve's closet in a quick moment of boldness and grabbed the large sweatshirt that Steve often wore to bed. It was soft and worn and smelled so gloriously Steve to his new high-def sense of smell that he could actually feel his fangs tingle. He slipped it on, marveling at the strange sensation of the fabric on his new skin. Steve smiled softly at him when he turned back around, and gestured to his bed where he had piled up as many blankets as he could find on one side.

"I made you a nest?"

Tony's lower lip wobbled slightly at the sight. It looked like the perfect place to hide. He was in the bed and snuggling comfortably into the combination of Sherpa, fleece, and cashmere fabrics, as well as the hideous quilt that a little old lady had given Steve in return for saving her niece during a particularly bad city-wide fight, before he registered what he was doing. Steve watched him roll around and arrange the blankets the way he wanted them for awhile until Tony seemed to realize what he was doing and stopped, looking over at Steve self-consciously.

"Um...come in?"

Steve crawled into bed beside him, content to allow Tony to nestle into his side, still wrapped in the blankets. It was the most intimate they had been since Tony was changed. It was top ten for intimacy in their entire relationship, really. Aside from some making out once or twice and serious snuggling, they hadn't gone far in the physical aspect of their relationship. 

Steve, still overcoming years of blissful sexual ignorance, was content to wait for Tony to feel confident enough in his body next to Steve's. Neither were in a hurry before.

He supposed that not much had actually changed, if he looked at from that angle. He and Tony would have to start over with learning each other physically, but that was fine. Steve had waited for seventy years to meet Tony. He could be patient. He felt Tony's tail carefully nudging him into the big spoon position around the smaller man, and he wasn't sure Tony even knew he was doing it. Tony rolled over in his cocoon and laid his head over Steve's heart, already mostly asleep.

"'m sorry," He muttered. Steve pulled him closer and wrapped a bit of blanket over Tony's exposed shoulder.

"It's okay," Steve replied, but he was already asleep.

Someday, Tony would see himself the way Steve saw him.

He'd make sure of it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony likes to snack at night. Thor approves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Polarspaz art](http://polarspaz.tumblr.com/post/146722607161/so-ive-been-getting-a-bunch-a-questions-about)

Tony waited until he was sure that Steve was asleep before slowly, silently slipping out of bed. He knew that Steve was a light sleeper some nights and he had to be careful if he wanted to keep his secret. Steve rolled over when Tony opened the door with a soft whoosh, but didn't stir any further. Tony quietly made his way through the dimly lit hallways, pausing every now and then to listen for any footsteps. It was almost three in the morning, and tonight he was even more certain that he wouldn't be disturbed as most of the team was out of the country to provide extra security at the UN conference and only Thor had stayed behind. As kind and boisterous as the man was, he often failed at traditional human diplomacy. Besides, it was good to have a few heavy hitters around in case someone got ballsy and tried to take out the tower. 

Tony took a moment to enjoy the view from the large kitchen windows that overlooked the city. The damage from Loki's alien soldiers was all but repaired, and even this late at night the lights were beautiful. It made him feel strangely comforted to know that he wasn't the only one that couldn't sleep. Of course, that wasn't quite true. As time had passed, he could feel the snake part of his brain becoming more pronounced in certain ways. He could sense vibration in his tail, and he was getting better at memorizing which stride went with which person. Clint had been royally pissed that he could no longer hide from him, and Natasha had stepped her game to sneak up on him. It didn't work, he could feel her coming. There were others thing too, like his inability to sleep at night and his lethargy during the day. If the sun was up, he was likely to hole up in his room or, more likely, Steve's room where he could curl up on the floor and bathe in the mid-morning sunlight streaming in through Steve's window.

The inability to sleep at night came with another odd quirk. He wasn't just awake. Bruce had confirmed with a herpetological geneticist that it was coral snake DNA (or near enough) that had been integrated into his own. This revelation explained why he was awake at night.

He was _hunting_.

Well, _coral snakes_ hunted at night, and Tony... _snacked_.

In the beginning, he tried snacking on "normal" foods. Poptarts, potato chips, candy. They were filling, and after he ate he wasn't hungry anymore and the look on Clint's face when he checked his little hoards of hidden food after Tony raided them was forever immortalized in his security camera archives. But nothing seemed to slake his craving. Then, one night while he looked for the cheesecake that Vision had made for the team (the man was a very quick study of recipes), he found what he really wanted.

* * *

Steve rubbed his eyes blearily. He had woken in a fuzzy panic, images of those long gone from his old life in his mind, and reached for Tony. No arms reached back though. He was momentarily panicked before his brain finally came online and he remembered that he was in the tower, and Tony was probably only in danger from himself. He sighed and pushed himself out of bed just at the clock turned to 3:15. He knew that Tony had been having some problems with his internal clock, and they were working on fixing his sleep schedule but it was hard to override the snake-brain. He padded barefoot down the hallway, not terribly concerned about what Tony was doing. He wandered aimlessly for a bit to collect himself before heading to the kitchen. He figured he might as well get some coffee because there was little chance of him going back to sleep. As he neared the kitchen he noticed that the lights were on, and a warm feeling bloomed in his chest at the thought of Tony.

Tony had been a snake for almost a month now, and after that first breakthrough in their relationship, they had spent a lot of time together. Granted, a lot of it was sparring practice to help Tony learn how to control his new body, but they also cuddled on the sofa and in bed. Tony's tail always curled around him like a particularly cuddly puppy, much to Tony's embarrassment, but Steve found it reassuring. As he opened the door, he heard an odd cracking sound, then a slurping sound, and then a swallow. Tony was seated on the floor, wrapped in a heated blanket on the low setting, and he was...eating _raw_ eggs? Tony's eyes snapped up to meet his, another egg still gripped in his hand.

"Hey," Steve mumbled as he went directly to the coffee maker. Tony followed his boyfriend's movements, still holding the egg. "Did you sleep at all yet?"

Tony didn't reply except to slowly lower the egg back into its carton.

"Do you want some coffee?" Steve asked as the machine whirred softly. He spun to face Tony, leaning back against the counter. "What?"

"So you find me eating raw eggs and all you ask is if I want coffee?" Tony asked, suspicion creeping into his voice. Steve had promised not to spare Tony's feelings if something grossed him out and Tony was going to make him keep that promise. Steve shrugged.

"I eat raw eggs sometimes."

"Yeah, in a smoothie after you take the shell off," Tony snapped. He could feel the blush creeping up his face. Steve shrugged.

"Same thing."

Tony opened his mouth to argue right as Steve decided he was too tired for this argument. He took the few steps necessary to reach Tony, knelt down, and allowed Tony's tail to pull him in close to Tony's side. He sighed contently. It was surprisingly comfortable to be cradled by a column of super-strong snake muscle. Tony sighed.

"It's weird. You know it is."

"Says the snake man to the super soldier from World War two, both of whom live in a giant tower that is occasionally also occupied by two super-spies, a man that turns into an indestructible rage monster, a Norse god, a witch, and man we created out of lightning and an infinity stone who also likes to make cheesecake." Steve ticked off each member on his fingers. "I don't think your definition of weird is broad enough."

Tony snorted. He hated to concede a point, even to his boyfriend. He felt the vibrations of Thor's heavy steps and alerted Steve to his presence a few seconds before the god strode into the kitchen. He greeted them warmly and began to prepare mugs for the three of them. The man loved his coffee.

"Friends, what has you awake at such an hour?" He asked loudly. Steve shrugged. Thor seemed unaffected by the late hour as always.

"Couldn't sleep. Came to see if Tony wanted some company."

"Ah, yes, Tony. How goes your night?" Thor asked, taking in their cuddling and the carton of eggs on the floor next to Tony's hand. "Why are the eggs on the floor?"

"Late night snack," Tony muttered. Thor's face took on a confused air for a moment and Tony started to go into defense mode when Thor suddenly lit up with a grin.

"Ah you also partake in the delicacy of raw eggs? I must say, while the eggs of your Midgardian birds are quite different than the ones I am accustomed to, they are still very delicious." Thor sat himself down next to them and reached for an egg of his own. Tony had to tamp down on the instinct to snatch them away from the larger man and instead watched in mild fascination as Thor cracked the top of the shell expertly and sucked the contents of the egg out.

"I can honestly say I did not see that coming," Tony said, his eyes wide. Thor merely smiled at him and reached for another. "Are you just trying to make me feel better?"

"I am completely serious. Eggs such as these would be considered a great delicacy in my realm. They are quite small and easy to consume unlike those of what you may consider Asgardian chickens, which are quite large and fiercely protect their clutches. They must be consumed straight from the shell as is tradition."

Thor began to regale them with tales of his boyhood attempts to steal the large eggs only to be constantly chased away. They were only supposed to be served at the great feasts that marked holidays and other significant events, and the smallest ones were the most greatly coveted. Many sound effects and pantomimes were used, and sunrise found the three superheroes seated on the kitchen floor surrounded by mugs of coffee, an empty 2-dozen egg carton, and eggshells. Steve had dozed off, safe in scaly coils, and Tony had eventually joined Thor in polishing off the rest of the eggs.

The next time Thor joined Tony for a late night snack, Tony waved Thor off of the regular eggs until he could retrieve a very special container. Thor gaped in wonder at the sight of the many tiny quail eggs and gleefully consumed them with Tony by his side. 

* * *

Nick Fury stared at the screen of his computer. He had set up an alert system for any strange purchases pertaining to the members of the Avengers, especially Tony Stark. He picked up the phone and dialed Tony's personal line.

"Why in the hell are you spending two hundred dollars a month on quail eggs?"

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Polarspaz art1](http://polarspaz.tumblr.com/post/146872439011/so-this-is-the-first-time-when-steve-is-like)   
>  [Polarspaz art2](http://polarspaz.tumblr.com/post/146712006451/tony-is-wearing-one-of-steves-shirts-if-you-were)

The bite of an average coral snake releases a neurotoxic venom through a series of what are considered "chewing motions". The amount of venom released into the bloodstream is dependent on the amount of time the coral snake remains attached to the victim, and left untreated, the venom can lead to slurred speech, double vision, and muscular paralysis. 

This can lead to respiratory failure.

Then the heart stops beating.

From one, tiny bite.

Tony was not one tiny snake. He was a man-sized snake with proportional venom production, though it was no more toxic that coral venom. He just produced a lot of it. Bruce had already begun collecting it as one would a regular coral snake and sending it to a select few researchers that developed antivenom.

Steve had a hyper-metabolism that rendered most pathogens, poisons, and sedatives useless before Steve felt any effects, and it was the same with Tony's venom. However, if Tony were to ever bite one of his human companions (except for Deadpool, who had shaken off lethal venom in under an hour), they would need an immediate massive dose of antivenom. Hence, sending his venom out to produce antivenom in large quantities. However, it could prove useful if it could be utilized as a type of projectile weapon from the suit-

And thus began his long night of working on the plans for a prototype snake armor suit.

* * *

 

 

Tony snuffled sleepily into Steve's shoulder as the supersoldier carried him from the workshop back to bed. The very tip of his tail was swishing back and forth a bit as it dragged on the ground behind them.

"'m not tired..." Tony mumbled, nuzzling the warm skin of Steve's throat. "I have to finish my calculations."

"You've been working on your new suit for sixteen hours. It's time to take a break," Steve said, adjusting his grip on the heavy tail that was lightly curled around his waist. Tony grumbled something about super-soldiers making terrible super-nannies but made no further move to get away. Steve was well aware that Tony really did object to being carried like this, he could slip away.

"Just a short nap," Tony said as Steve deposited him on the bed. Steve waited for Tony to finish moving around in his nest of blankets before turning to leave. "No, come back I want to cuddle."

He couldn't say no to that offer if it would get Tony to sleep. After he raised the room temperature to a level that he knew would help Tony sleep and make himself a little miserable, he slipped into bed and let Tony move him into a suitable position for cuddling, and started running his fingers through Tony's hair.

"Go to sleep."

"Wake me up in twenty minutes," Tony muttered. 

"Sure."

"I mean it. Twenty minutes tops!" Tony grumbled. Steve nodded, knowing full well that Tony was going to sleep for at least six hours before he would even _consider_ waking him up. 

Steve had planned on asking Sam to go for a run later, and training hand-to-hand with the rest of the Avengers with Natasha, but it was becoming more apparent that if he tried to get away from the coils of muscle framing him, it would only lead to trouble. So he relaxed and allowed himself to drift off. He could take a quick nap and wait for Tony to change position so he could get away. He was jostled back to wakefulness when Tony pulled himself out of the bed.

"Ugh, sweaty," Tony was grumbling. "Stupid hot supersoldier. How can I even sweat? Snakes don't sweat."

Steve propped himself up on his elbows just in time to watch a half-asleep Tony peel the sweaty shirt off his back and drop it on the floor.

"Ughh gross." Tony was still grumbling as he wiped at the sweat on his brow and pushed his hair back messily. 

The skin of his toned abdomen _(especially between his pecs, god was he drooling? Steve felt like he might be drooling)_  was gleaming in the mid-afternoon sun as little drops of sweat slid down his face, and the visible scales were shiny and radiant in the light. Like a beautiful painting of fire. Steve felt a blush on his cheeks. Usually Tony kept his top half as covered as possible with long sleeve t-shirts and Steve's sweatshirts, since before they were even dating. Even when he was sparring he had taken to wearing the kind of body-con undershirts that Natasha had bought for him. At least, she _said_ she bought them. One of Tony's credit cards had gone mysteriously missing the very same day she had presented them to him. His tail was a lost cause when it came to clothing, much to Tony's despair. Tony finally noticed Steve watching (staring, drooling), and he reflexively reached for a shirt. At the way Steve seemed to deflate (he hated making Tony self-conscious, but he just couldn't help but stare), Tony dropped it back on the floor. It was sweaty anyways. 

"Um...at least you aren't cold anymore?" Steve said, trying to break the weird tension. Tony cocked his head to the side slightly.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked quietly.

"Like what?" Steve asked, slowly moving to stand in front Tony. The bed sheets were tangled at the foot of the bed by now.

"Like...like I'm..." Tony was at a loss for words. 

"Like you're beautiful?" Steve supplied, stepping forward.

"I was going to say...like you did before all of this. Like I'm still the same man." Tony looked like he was torn between bolting and staying, like a single misstep would break their fragile moment.

"I know you don't believe me when I say it. But you are," Steve said, looking into Tony's eyes unflinchingly. "What happened isn't fair, but it doesn't change who you are. It doesn't change how I feel about you. It doesn't change...how attractive you are to me."

Tony looked like he might cry, and Steve hated to see anyone cry, so he pulled Tony close and held him tightly. He hadn't seen much of the skin of Tony's chest since that night he found him crying in the bathroom. Tony's arms wound around him tightly, and he felt Tony's heart beating against his chest.

"Can I kiss you?" Steve asked, fully aware that Tony might say no. They hadn't kissed more than a quick occasional peck on cheek or side of the mouth since it happened. Not until Bruce had been able to prove beyond a doubt that yes, Steve was immune to his venom's effects. It had lifted one of the larger insecurities Tony carried around with him.

Tony didn't say anything, but he pulled back just enough to look at Steve. He searched for any sign of revulsion, of obligation, of anything negative. Slowly he leaned in, and matched their lips up. Steve cupped his face sweetly with one large hand, the other snaking (Tony mentally scolded himself for the pun) around his waist. The scales under on Tony's lower back were smooth and warm from where they had absorbed Steve's heat, and they felt like they were moving with each minute shift of Tony's muscles. Their chaste kiss soon turned more heated, with Tony's hands exploring the hard muscle of Steve's back before wrapping his arms around Steve's neck. He felt...he felt like he was about to explode. He was too much for his skin. Steve broke for air first, which was impressive since Tony knew he could hold his breath for three minutes. Tony tugged at Steve's shirt and Steve obliged, taking it off.

Tony took this chance to nuzzle at Steve's pulse point. Then, out of his control and very embarrassingly, his forked tongue flicked out a few times, tickling Steve's neck. Tony froze, unsure if Steve had noticed.

"Did you...are you? Did you just... _taste_ me?" Steve asked, the laughter dancing in his eyes. "Good thing I took a shower."

Tony humphed, and started to pull back. He didn't like it when his snakey side pushed through, especially when he was around Steve. It was just one more reminder that he wasn't what Steve had signed up for in the beginning.

"No, don't." Steve reeled him back in. "It's kind of cute."

"I am not cute."

"You're a little cute," Steve said, flashing his perfect 'Captain America' smile. Tony rolled his eyes.

"Snakes aren't cute."

"Snakes are sexy," Steve retorted, his smile turning more lecherous. Tony rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, grandpa."

Tony let Steve kiss the tip of his nose. 

"You'll get wrinkles if you keep frowning."

"Why are you even considering doing anything with me?" Tony muttered. "Look at me. I don't even...I don't know how any of this works."

The contrast between his own reptilian skin and pale stomach, and Steve's chiseled physique was even more striking when they were both shirtless. 

Steve stepped away, staying within easy reach but sensing that Tony needed a little space by the way his tail was coiling around itself. This was common scene so far, even before the whole snake thing. Tony often got overwhelmed by new levels of affection, intimacy, and backed away to take stock of the situation. Steve didn't mind, he'd had a hard time accepting that he liked men at all at first. And like he had told Tony, he could be patient.

"Then you should do what you do best," Steve said, gently reaching to cup Tony's cheek again. "Research obsessively until you figure it out. You know you have a willing test subject right here."

"Aren't you tired of waiting?" Tony asked. "Because I know I am."

Something seemed to change in Tony's face, and he determinedly grabbed Steve and pulled him closer. 

"Want to make out like horny virgins on the bed?" Tony asked, a smirk playing on his lips. Steve pretended to consider the offer, tapping his chin. 

"Yes, yes let's do that."

 

 

 


End file.
